Abstract:

Reliability is conceptually defined in terms of consistency across test occasions but coefficient alpha, the most popular reliability estimation method, precludes the examination of such consistency. Three recent proposals to estimate transient error separately within a classical test theory tradition, and the results that they have yielded are reviewed. The merits of these proposals are compared with those of generalisability theory which differentiates between different sources of error variation. Although the procedures reviewed cannot match the advantages of generalisability theory, they may be sufficient in many applications.